Del. Police Arrest Couple in Leipsic Homicide

LEIPSIC, Del.- Delaware State Police in Kent County have arrested a woman and her boyfriend accused of stabbing her disabled father to death, then stuffing his body in a barrel and dumping it in the Leipsic River.

Jennifer L. Barnes, 23, of Leipsic and Gerard T. Schweiger, 24, of Felton, are each charged with first-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, first-degree conspiracy, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, abusing a corpse and breach of release.

Troopers said the arrests stem from an investigation that began on Jan. 8, when a woman contacted state police to file a missing person report for her son, 45-year-old Tony Mozick of Leipsic. The woman informed troopers that her son comes to her house in Leipsic daily where he is given medication due to a disability. According to police, the last time she heard from Mozick was the evening of Jan. 5, when she spoke with him on the phone.

While investigating the missing person case, detectives said they learned about an incident that occurred on Dec. 12, 2012, where troopers were called to the unit block of West Street in Leipsic for a reported domestic incident. Police said that during the incident, Mozick was a victim of an assault when he was attacked by his daughter, identified as Barnes, and her boyfriend, Schweiger. Authorities said that after the two were arrested, Barnes and Schweiger were issued a no contact order that prohibited them from being at the home where Mozick lives. Through witness accounts, detectives determined that Barnes was later allowed back at the home due to her four children who are 5 years of age and younger.

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, state police detectives responded to the home on West Street and conducted a search warrant. Police said the detectives located a large amount of blood near the victim's bedroom and a portion of the carpet in the room had been removed and discarded across the street. Barnes, who was at the house at the time of the search with her four young children, was transported to DSP Troop 3 near Camden for further questioning. The children were turned over to a relative.

Police said that through interviews and evidence located at the scene, it was determined that on the night of Jan. 5, Barnes invited Schweiger over to the house on West Street. Investigators said that once inside the house, Schweiger was confronted by Mozick and a fight ensued.

Police said that during the struggle, Schweiger used a small knife and stabbed Mozick multiple times. Barnes and Schweiger then allegedly placed the victim's body in a 55-gallon plastic tote container and moved it out to a garage behind the house where they left it overnight, according to investigators.

Authorities said that on the evening of Sunday Jan. 6, the couple then loaded the container into a vehicle and drove to the bridge on Fast Landing Road (SR42) just outside of Leipsic and threw it into the Leipsic River. The barrel and Mozick's body have not yet been located.

Schweiger was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in Odessa and transported back to Troop 3 where he and Barnes were arrested on the aforementioned charges. Both are being held without bail.

The DSP SCUBA team and officers from the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement are conducting a search of the Leipsic River and its tributaries in an attempt to locate the container and Mozick's body.

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